PhET Activity for MS-PS4-1: Waves intro

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click on the 'Water' icon to begin.
2. Click the green button on the faucet to start the water drops.
3. Observe the circular waves propagating outwards.
4. Move the 'Frequency' and 'Amplitude' sliders in the right-hand control panel to see their effect.
Spend 2-3 minutes freely exploring the 'Water' tab. Try using all the controls on the screen to understand what they do. Do not worry about collecting data yet.

QUESTION: Are you acquainted with the tools in this simulation?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Press the orange circular arrow button to reset the simulation to its default state for the 'Water' tab.
2. Drag the 'Tape Measure' from the toolbox in the top right corner into the simulation area.
3. Set the 'Amplitude' slider to its maximum value.
4. Click the green button on the faucet to start the waves.
5. Set the 'Frequency' slider to a low value and use the tape measure to measure the distance between two consecutive wave crests (wavelength).
6. Increase the 'Frequency' slider to a high value and measure the wavelength again.

QUESTION: As the frequency of the water drops increases, the wavelength (the distance between crests) (a)   .

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the 'Side View' radio button at the bottom of the screen.
2. Keep the 'Frequency' slider in the middle.
3. Move the 'Amplitude' slider from its minimum setting to its maximum setting and observe the change in the wave's height.

QUESTION: In the side view of a water wave, what does the amplitude represent?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Ensure you are still in 'Side View'.
2. Set the 'Amplitude' slider to the middle mark (approximately halfway). Observe the size of the waves.
3. Now, move the 'Amplitude' slider to the maximum setting (doubling the initial amplitude). Observe how much larger the waves become.

QUESTION: The energy carried by a wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude. If you double the amplitude of a wave, its energy becomes (a)   times greater.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the 'Top View' radio button at the bottom of the screen.
2. Drag the 'Water Level' sensor from the toolbox and place it in the water.
3. A graph of 'Water Level vs. Time' will appear.
4. Adjust the 'Amplitude' and 'Frequency' sliders and observe the changes in the graph.

QUESTION: Describe what the 'Water Level vs. Time' graph represents. How does the graph change if you increase the amplitude of the waves?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the 'Home' button at the bottom of the screen to return to the main selection menu.
2. Click on the 'Sound' icon.
3. Click the green button on the speaker to start generating sound waves.
4. Observe the waves propagating from the speaker.

QUESTION: In the 'Sound' tab, the dark bands represent areas of high ___ (compressions) and the light bands represent areas of low ___ (rarefactions).

(a)  

DIRECTIONS:
1. In the right-hand control panel, click the 'Particles' radio button.
2. Set the 'Amplitude' to maximum and 'Frequency' to a low setting to see the particle motion clearly.
3. Observe the motion of the individual red dots.

QUESTION: Based on your observation of the particles, which statement best describes how a sound wave travels?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the 'Waves' radio button to return to the wave visualization.
2. Check the 'Play Tone' checkbox in the control panel to hear the sound.
3. Move the 'Frequency' slider from a low setting to a high setting and listen carefully to the sound.

QUESTION: A sound wave with a high frequency is perceived as having a (a)   pitch.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Set the 'Frequency' slider to a value in the middle of its range.
2. Ensure the 'Play Tone' checkbox is still checked.
3. Move the 'Amplitude' slider from its minimum setting to its maximum setting and listen to the change in volume.

QUESTION: What is the primary effect of increasing the amplitude of a sound wave?

DIRECTIONS:
1. Click the 'Both' radio button in the right-hand control panel.
2. Observe the screen, which now shows both the pressure wave visualization and the oscillating particles.

3. 3.Make sure that you click the green button to start the simulation.
   
   QUESTION: Match the feature of the pressure wave model to its corresponding feature in the particle model.